Until the present invention, adjusting the side rails of a conveyor belt assembly, both horizontally to vary the distance between the rails and vertically to vary the height of the rails, was a laborious task performed manually. Clamps, screws and bolts which held the rails in place at intervals along the conveyor belt had to be loosened by a wrench, pliers, and/or screwdriver, and then similarly tightened subsequent to changing the distance between the side-rail units. This procedure often had to be performed several times to achieve the appropriate original positive setting position for the rails in relation to the width and height of the items being moved along the conveyor belt. Typically, for each different sized bottle, e.g. 1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches, etc., adjustments have to be made to the rails of the conveyor belt. The repeated manual adjustment of the rails without the benefit of the present invention was tedious and time-consuming due to the clamps, screws and bolts holding the rails in place.
Frequently, running adjustments, necessary after the original setting is chosen and the system is put into operation, were too often performed several times on a "trial and error" basis, requiring testing to determine if the correct adjustment had been made. Moreover, bottles are commonly wedged at the infeed station of the conveyor belt, causing congestion and often requiring adjustment to the rails at that site. In addition, if a bottle falls from the upright position causing a domino effect with bottles falling at different angles, pushing outward against the rails, or even protruding above, below or between the rails, obstruction and congestion may occur at any site on the belt, requiring another adjustment.
In these instances, the operator often has to interrupt the processing of the items being transported, adjust the rails to allow for the straightening of items moving along the conveyor, and lastly, by the laborious process of repeated "trial and error" manual adjustment to the rails, attempt to reset the side-rails exactly as they were prior to the interruption. In some cases, the rails themselves buckled or became distorted requiring again the interruption of processing and "trial and error" adjustment to the rails. The present invention overcomes these above-described problems existing in the field.
Specifically, the quick changeover device of the present invention, allows for quick, easy and stable adjustment to the rails. The device is further specifically designed to maintain its original setting and absorb the shock of a major jam-up that often previously required the re-straightening or remounting of the rails.
Vertical adjustment of the rails may also be necessary to meet the changing requirements of bottle heights. Insufficient height of the rails in relation to the height of the bottles results in less stability and support, contributing to the occurrence of blockages due to overturned bottles. To decrease the occurrence of these problems, vertical as well as horizontal adjustment of the rails may be necessary.
Thus, an object of this invention is to provide a cost-effective mechanism for adjusting the side-rail units of a conveyor-belt assembly by providing a device which allows for the efficient and speedy adjustment of the side-rails units.
Another object of this invention is to provide means whereby the rails of a conveyor belt can be set easily at pre-determined positions by simply rotating a knob or dial to select, with a setting pole, a desired position on a calibrated disc corresponding to the desired width between the side rails.
It is a further object of the invention to eliminate the use of hand-tools to adjust the rails and the required "trial and error" approach to achieve a desired setting of the side-rails, significantly decreasing "change-over" time.
Yet another object of this invention is to allow for the easy and nonuniform adjustment of the distance between the rails of a conveyor belt at various points along the conveyor belt line. For example, it may be preferable for the infeed section to be set at a tapered angle, allowing the bottles greater room and flexibility, whereas down-line, it may be preferable to lessen the distance between the rails. The present invention renders these features more practicable than ever before.